Library kids book charges - a little rant

The Hampshire library service until relatively recently had no late charges for children, and this was the case for many years.

I know I should return the books on time, and I know its my responsibility. However having fines for kids books does put me off borrowing them, so I can only imagine how much it discourages families on an even tighter budget.

We regularly have 30 or so items at home with:

6 or 7 audio CDs for Aidan to listen to as he falls asleep
several baby board books for Elliot to play with/ to have read at bedtime
Bedtime fun books for Aidan, Alex, and Cat
Aidans awfull horrible star wars comics.
Reading books for all 3 of the big kids.

We have email notifications when books are due back, and as yet we have only once had to pay a fine for a couple of books, but god help us if we return the majority of the books late. The library service will have to take the house to cover the fines!

Toe by toe - Reading programme - 10/10

http://www.toe-by-toe.co.uk/

My oldest lad is 9 and we have struggled for many many years with his reading and writing. He is a very bright boy, and he just seems to understand so many complex things, until you write them down on paper, then he is immediately lost.

When he was 7 they diagnosed dyslexia and since then we have been on such a hard and painfull journey. I know so many people say that they love their child as they are, and that they would not make their disability disappear if they could. Well I would kick his dyslexia to hell if I had that power. I hate to see his tears, I hate to see his frustration, I hate to see people assuming that he is thick and I hate the impact it has on his self esteem. I love him more than words, but his dyslexia should go jump!

He was a part of a  Dyslexia Research Trust piece of research, and they are still supporting him now. One of their suggestions at the last visit was to try the Toe by Toe book. We have only been using the book for about 2 months, so he is still working his way through it. To be honest some days he is happy to do it, other days he screams and fights. However I do believe that breaking the reading down the way that they have is making a difference to him.

The book really helps to imbed reading concepts into their minds, and the idea of learning the concept, practicing it on nonsense words, and then moving on to real words really helps to drive it home. Its also very positive, you don't use crosses (and Aidan has certainly seen enough of those in his life), and they get lots of chances to get the three ticks they need for each word/ sound.

This is not a book that you leave them in a corner to work at on their own, the whole concept is to work side by side with them, and to take it step by step. It certainly takes some patience and plenty of work, but nothing worth having comes easy.

I don't think he will suddenly learn to read, but anything that makes a difference is good by me.

In conclusion:

A great support for any children that are not clicking with the reading thing - 10/10

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Toddler and young child - Monkey and Me - 8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monkey-Me-Emily-Gravett/dp/0230015832

This is a great read which may appeal slightly more to girls than boys, it certainly does in my house.

The graphics are quite arty and very pleasant to look at, for a kids book the colours are very muted, but its nice for a change to read a book that is a bit less of an assault on the senses. I find the story, the colours and in particular the ending to be perfect for a bedtime read.

We start with a little girl getting ready for her day, in typical little girl style we see a series of images of her as she struggles with her tights. How true to life!

The book follows a pattern with a "monkey and me went to see" rhyme on the first page, then a group of animals on the following page.

Other than the rhyme the only clue to the animal you are about to see if the little girls actions, so its great fun to try and work out what she is being. Of course my kids always lack patience and try to sneak peek at the next page.

At the end of the book the exhausted little girl slowly makes her way home for tea, and promtly falls fast asleep at the table. I have said its a great bedtime read, but you can easily turn it into a fun daytime action read, just get the kids to copy the animal actions, nothing like a bit of kangaroo jumping or monkey swinging to wear them out.

In conclusion:

 Animaltastic - 8/10

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Is being rubbish at something a good reason not to do it?

I think I am ok at reading out loud, atleast the kids seem to enjoy it.

However with singing I absolutely 110 % suck suck suck. I have no rhythm, I am tone deaf, I forget the words, I sound like a cat that has got its tail caught in a blender. You may think I am being harsh, but the above is actually a compliment when applied to my singing.

I beleive its important for kids to be exposed to nursery rhymes and songs on a regular basis, so my poor kids have to suffer, not only at bedtime, but also in the car, when out walking, in the bath tub and any time that it takes my fancy.

They have never complained or said anything negative about my singing, and in fact they seem to positively enjoy it. Clearly they are either insane or tone deaf aswell.

The question is should I sing regardless, or actually stop ( and potentially stop damaging the kids ear drums)?

Baby and toddler - Panda in the Park - 9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panda-Park-Look-through-Board-Books/dp/0746047509/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348694737&sr=1-2

This is a great little board book. We have had Panda in the park in our house for about 8 years, and our copy is now looking a little worse for the wear, but to be fair my youngest daughter attacked it when she was going through a phase of picking bits of cardboard to pieces, so the front cover has died a death.

Its lovely to follow Panda as he plays hide and seek with his little animal mates. The little glimpse of the next animal through holes in the pages makes for great fun. Depending on the child some of mine have been happy to guess the animal from the picture, while others have done anything to turn that page and get a sneek peek.

On each page there is a little pink bird to watch, and plenty of things to count, spot or talk about together. The insects have been a hit with all of mine, and it can keep little ones quiet for ages hunting out a particular insect on every page.

The kids love the invite to play again on the last page, but I have to admit ( as a very lazy mummy) that at bedtime I often skipped the "shall we play again" final sentence. Luckily toddlers and babies can't read, so its easy to get away with it.

Its a great book if they are going through some seperation anxiety, and they need to realise that when they can't see something it still exists. Its also great to introduce the concept of hide and seek, and a quick game after reading it is a great idea.

Being very easily amused I find it great fun to stick a finger through the little page holes to either give them a shock or a little tickle.

In conclusion:

Hide and seek rocks in real life and in story form -9/10

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Top 10 Nursery rhymes

This is a bit of an old link but I am going to use it tomorrow at my toddler group:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/gallery/2009/oct/02/nursery-rhymes-top-ten#/?picture=353742954&index=0

Out of about 30 or so mums I wonder how many mums will know them all.
How many do you know:

Grand old Duke of York
Baa baa black sheep
Hickory dickory dock
Little Miss Muffet
Round and round the garden like a teddy bear
Incey Wincey spider
Jack and Jill went up the hill
If you'r happy and you know it
Twinkle, twinkle
Humpty Dumpty

I don't do too bad on the list, but am stumped for the second verses for those that have them

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well we ended up with 41 mummies and about 60 or so kids, along with happy birthday we sang :

If you'r happy and you know it
Twinkle, twinkle
Incey Wincey spider
Grand old Duke of York
Baa baa black sheep

I am pleased to say that the vast majority of both parents and children seemed to know the words, and it was a pleasure to see so many children singing along and doing the actions.

Baby and toddler - Moo, baa, la la la! - 8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moo-Baa-La-Boynton/dp/0689861133

I do like a Sandra Boynton book, you know that the graphics will be great and the words will be short, sweet and silly. Love it!

Surprise, surprise Moo, baa, la la la is yet another chance to make some great animal sounds. Honestly I don't just spend all day sitting around the house making odd animal noises! (Although I do enjoy snorting and snuffing along with the rhinoceroses)

I think its great that the first two pages start out very mundane " a cow says moo", then chaos is unleashed when the pigs decide to put on a show and sing la la la rather than a plain old oink. My kids have all enjoyed objecting to this unacceptable pig behaviour.

Our copy is a small very tough board book that has lasted a long time ( probably about 8 years), its looking a little loved, but is still very readable.

I find this one to be a good bedtime book, but the pictures are so great that its also a good one to keep knocking around the car. After a while they become experts on the animals and can just look at the pictures entertain themselves with the various noises.

In conclusion:

Silly, silly silly ( what more can you ask for) - 8/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Four feral children blogs

Hopefully you are enjoying the book reviews. If so you might like to take a look at the other four feral children blogs:

Our adventures in the great outdoors:

http://fourferalchildren.blogspot.co.uk/

If you would like to laugh at my pathetic weight loss attempts :

http://mummyweightlosschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Ramblings about family life and parenting issues:

http://fourferalchildrencluelessmummy.blogspot.co.uk/

Our new concept to review the million of products we use everyday:

http://productsweloveandhate.blogspot.co.uk/

young children - tanka tanka skunk - 6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0099439778/?tag=googhydr-21&hvadid=4763021191&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8417952491521317433&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_6j9kmst4tw_e

The kids have never 100% got into this one, and to be fair I am not sure if its because of the book or my own lack of enthusiasm for it.

Its a big book with lovely clear graphics, and I do love the colour scheme. I also really like the fact that it introduces them to animals outside the everyday dog, cat and so on that they are so use to. Although I am not sure what noise a skunk or an ant eater make ( I will have to put more thought into that one, or maybe just google it).

This book is all about rhythm, and as I have no rhythm that may explain why I don't enjoy it as much as I perhaps should. The idea is that tanka tankaskunk can sound like the beat of a drum, and you can then carry the rhythm on through all the animals mentioned in the book.

I have to say that I find the first 5 or 6 pages a bit dull and missing that certain something. However I do always warm to the book after that, and I really enjoy the beat from then on.

We particularly like the last few pages, where the beat winds down, and the animals all appear to be settling to sleep. This chilled feeling does not last long as they quickly all wake up, and the animals suggest that you do it "once more from the top.. faster this time please". The kids love any book that has no end, and that has the potential to keep me reading all night long!

In conclusion:

I hope others can really enjoy the book, but it lacks something to my mind - 6/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Young children- You Choose - 9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Choose-Pippa-Goodhart/dp/0552547085

This book came into our house a couple of years ago, and immediately caught my youngest daughters imagination ( and still has a hold on her 2 years later).

You choose is a picture book with very few words. The idea is that each page gives you tons of pictures, which you look at and then decide which you would like, the questions at the top of the page vary from "where would you go" to" what would you eat", or "which pet would you have"

The graphics are great with so much to look at and talk about, it really is full of so much potential. Everytime we read it we notice something new.

Its a large book, and one small downside is that the pages are not very tough, so ours consists of a lot of sellotape.

We have been through:
a phase of looking at the book and actually choosing like a normal person
choosing dodgy options for the other person ( Cat loves picking the pets that will bite me!)
choosing every option on every page until me or their dad give up
choosing the same option everytime ( with my girls its the princess castle)
following the characters advice and choosing what they recommend/ talk about.

Its a great book to start a discussion, and its also a good bedtime book, as the last page focuses on bed and sleep, so is a great link to directing them under the bed covers.

In conclusion:

I now hate this book, but to be fair thats just because I have had to read it 10 billion times 9/10 ( but I would like to give it 0/10) 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Young children and toddlers - Accidentally on purpose - 8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accidentally-Purpose-Daisy-Picture-Books/dp/1862305315

This one is great fun, what a great idea!

Our copy is a medium sized spiral bound split page book, with pages made of very thick paper.

You may have met Daisy in other Nick Sharratt books, she looks and acts ( sometimes) alot like one of my daughters. If you flip both half of the pages at the same time you get a very good Daisy, who does helpfull things like putting her pants in the laundry basket, until she is naughty on the last page.

However if you turn the page halves out of sequence you get some hilarious results, my kids love the page where they can put things "on mums back" or "in mums tea", especially the worm, nice!

The pictures are the usual high quality you would expect with a Daisy book, and the book really draws any child into taking part.

Its a bit of a laugh, and always hypes my lot up, so not a great bedtime book. Also if my girls are tired they fight over whose go it is to turn the page.

I really enjoy this book, and in general although it tends to appeal a little more to girls, boys also seem to get a kick out of making Daisy be naughty.

 

In conclusion:

Good fun to see how naughty you can make Daisy act, excellent entertainment - 8/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

12 reasons to read and sing to them......

When I first started popping out kids I found it a little odd to read to babies. They don't exactly do much ( other than the pooing, sicking, burping, eating, filling nappy thing), and it seems odd reading to a being that at first seems so oblivious to your attempts.

I also found it hard to sing to them, especially in public. When I say that my voice is like nails on a chalkboard and I am completely tone deaf, I am not exaggerating. Fast forward 9 years, and I now have no shame and sing publically every week for 30 or so mums and their children at my toddler group. Although they all have very strict instructions to sing over me, not with me!

Many weeks at toddler group children will request more songs and rhymes. My kids also can't get enough of my act, so it only goes to show that kids don't care about talent, they just want that interaction.

 

Why I loooooovvvvveeee using books/ songs/ rhymes with babies and kids:

1. - The obvious one, its great for the speech development and really helps to extend their vocabulary.

2. - Excellent activities to give you that time together to support that vital bonding

3. - Great chance to have that little chill out before bedtime, a vital part of the bedtime routine from 0 onwards,

4. - An amazing circle, you read to them and its likely they will read to their kids when its their turn to be mummy or daddy.

5. - Nothing like books for fostering and encouraging their beautiful imaginations

6. - Supports their readiness for formal education when the time is right, and starts to give them the idea about how reading works

7. - Stories are a great way to introduce new or big life topics eg potty training

8. - Encourages concentration skills

9. - Listening to stories helps them to understand logic, cause and effect and even social skills

10. - It gives you an insight into them, reading the same book 100 times may seem tedious, but its telling you lots about their preferences, likes and dislikes

11. - Introduces them to the amazing world in which they live

12. - Its fun!

Upcoming reviews

When I have time I am hoping to review a few more of my kids favourites including:

A dragon on the doorstep
Hippos go berserk
Whose tail
Bedtime peekaboo
Fix it duck

Watch this space for lots more interesting children's book related posts.

The book people - 10 reasons why we love Them

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_home_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100

We use the book people a lot in our household:

1 - They are very very very cheap.

2 - A great source of decent birthday presents for the kids friends for somewhere between the £5 to £10 mark.

3 - Great place for Santa to get those stocking fillers or larger presents.

4 - Brilliant kids books for £1 or less to give away at my toddler group.

5 - Free books from their book points scheme.

6 - Regular competitions and special offers.

7 - Free delivery on larger orders and you can often find good promotion codes online.

8 - Great sales happen on a regular basis.

9 - Box sets that are ridiculously cheap

10 - Their magazine and website are easy to read/ navigate so a good way to be introduced to new authors

Preschool - Pants - 9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pants-Giles-Andreae/dp/0552548332

In our household we were actually introduced to the second pants book first, and then we brought Pants, typical of us to be so backwards!

Pant, pants, pants, we love pants.

This is a great fun book that appeals to both boys and girls a like. It very much "does what it says on the tin", in that it is a rhyming book all about different types of pants.

There are particular pants that get a good reaction from my kids, especially the yukky "little baby nappy pants" and the "no pants at all".

This is one of those books that we all really enjoy, and the kids are able to read the words from memory. They enjoy the last page, using it to decide which was their favourite pair, and then looking back through to find that pair.

I agree with the finishing words "What a lot of lovely pants there are!", yes indeed, how true!

In conclusion:

Who doe'snt love pants, pants, glorious pants - 8/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Do you like the four feral children blogs?

If you are enjoying the Four feral children blogs please consider becoming a follower, or "like" our facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Four-feral-children/382313158508278

Many thanks

Preschool - Are you my mother - 9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginner-Are-You-My-Mother/dp/0007224796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347998699&sr=8-1

This is a classic book from the 60's, that I remember being read as a child.

The drawings are very unique and artistic at a level that children would really appreciate. They are not the usual bright and simple pictures you often get with children's books.

Its a lovely story about a baby bird who hatches to find himself alone in the world, he heads off with determination on a mission to find his mother.

After many false starts he seems a little down hearted, but soon picks himself up, only to be confronted by "the snort". Don't worry, it ends well for baby bird with a happy reunion with his mother.

The journey baby bird travels upon has moments of sadness, moments of peril and lots of excitement. Its lovely to have a final page that has no words, but instead leaves you with a distant view of the happy mother and son in their nest, safe at the top of a tree.

As usual there are plenty of opportunities for mums to make fun noises, and I for one love being "the snort".

In conclusion:

It looks like a more serious book, but it still a lovely relaxing read, I loved it as a kid, and my kids now love it. - 8/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

To kindle or not to kindle?

The whole world seems to have gone kindle mad!

There are a few reasons why I am a reluctant convert:

• There is nothing quiet like the feel and smell of a book when your curled up reading before bed.

•  I would'nt fancy taking a kindle into the bath, especially as I have been known to fall asleep and drop a book in the bath, I wonder if they are water proof.

•  I like to go to the book shop, browse the books, take them home, and then have a mini library at home.

• We live in a town house, and my guilty pleasure is reading on the loo. Hence I need 3 books on the go at one time (one in each loo), and I think 3 kindles might work out a little expensive!

•  I think I may be a little reluctant to let the kids loose with a kindle, I don't know how long it would last.

I was waiting at an after school club and a mum was reading a children's book to her lad from the kindle, so this has got me thinking that it may be handy to have so many children's books at my finger tips, in such a compact form.

Not sure, can anyone convince me either way?

Baby and toddlers - little players series - 9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farm-Little-Players-Benedicte-Guettier/dp/1840893265

Another great series of books for babies, toddlers are small children.

These books enable toddlers to really get into the book, by putting their faces in the hole in the middle of each page, and becoming the animal. Yet again its a great chance to practice those animal noises, and this time you can add those great animal expressions as well to you act!

My kids have loved putting their own faces in the hole, their baby brothers and also mine. What they really seem to enjoy is when I get the animals and their noises mixed up, or when they do it to trick me.

The book is made of very tough and durable board, so they would have to really make a concerted effort to damage or break it. Obviously the book needs to be a certain size to fit your face in the hole, and this is a small downside, as the large size makes it a bit of a challenge for toddlers to handle. However our copy has a very handy little handle built into the book, which helps with carrying and page turning.

The drawings are very simple, but very striking, and the words are basic, but very appealing to small children. Not only does it help them match animals to their names and sounds, but it can also be used to explore other areas of learning eg the cup of milk coming from the cow, the different colours that make up the background of each page.

Its a very exciting and physical book, so maybe better for a morning or daytime read, rather than when you are trying to calm them ready for bed.

In conclusion:

This series gives them a chance to actually really get into books, a great daytime read, where adults can get back to being children too - 9/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Baby and toddler - Thats not my.... series - 8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=thats+not+my+books+collection&sprefix=THATS+NOT+MY%2Cstripbooks%2C270

What a lovely and now very extensive series, you can get a "thats not my book" on topics as diverse as snowmen or princesses, and many many many more.

These sturdy board books have 5 or so items or creatures that are not yours, before you finally arrive at the "thats my...." page.

Lets use the monster book to talk about the concept. The monsters are very simple, bright and fun drawings, and each monster has a tactile textured section eg bobbly, fluffy material, rough card.

The kids love feeling and grabbing the sections, and in most of the drawings the textured sections are big enough for a baby to find, and to hold their interest for a while. Some of the drawings do have more detailed or smaller textured sections, but I think these help to make it more interesting for the toddlers .

These are great to help encourage descriptive language and an understanding of the world, with each picture being accompanied with a "thats not my monster, its.... are to rough, fuzzy, hairy.

To add to the fun a little white mouse is hidden on each page for them to spot.

I like the fact that the books are sturdy enough to be left with a child/ baby for them to explore and practice turning the pages and feeling the textures, without the panic of them destroying the book.

In conclusion:

This series just shows that the simple ideas are the very best, a lot of fun to be had - 8/10 

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Babies and toddlers - Happy dog sad dog - 8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happy-Dog-Sad/dp/1845060709/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347569799&sr=1-1

This is another old favourite in my household.

Happy dog Sad dog is a middle sized very sturdy board book. There are lots of books of opposites out there, and amongst that category this is a good one.

The stars of the book are pairs of same coloured dogs that are doing opposite actions. Its great fun to act out the actions, and some are very easy (sad and happy), but some are a little bit more of a challenge (hairy and bald).

The dogs are very basic bright outline drawings, and are very recognisable to children as dogs. This offers yet another great opportunity to get stuck in and practice those barking noises.

The words are very simple, and this has enabled my older kids to read the book to their little baby brother.

In conclusion:

8/10 A fun and bright read, and good for those basic words when they first start reading.

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?

Baby and toddlers - Night, night baby -10/10

 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Baby-Flap-Book/dp/0721481353/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347475426&sr=1-1

       Normally I would run a mile from any book for babies or toddlers that has any kind of flap or attachment. Experience has taught me that small children will eat, rip or generally destroy these types of books within seconds of getting their grubby little hands on them. However we initially bought our copy 9 years ago before we became fully aware of the destructive nature of children.

 

      Night night baby is a middle sized board book, with thick card making up the flaps. Our copy has managed to last 9 years, and it has been used and abused by four children! Obviously it is now composed of a lot of extra glue and sellotape, and the poor panda has lost his ear, but its still very readable.

 

All of the kids ( 2 boys and 2 girls) have adored the book, and you could see the excitement in them when they saw the book in my hand. It is a great book to get them to chill out before bed, with the slogan of "night night baby" ending every page. Just looking at the chilled, happy, yawning and sleeping babies make me feel ready for a nap.

 

The colours are bright and the graphics are very simple. Small kids love looking at any representation of faces, so the pictures are very appealing to them. For some reason mine seemed to like a running commentary on the number of teeth each baby had. The kids love opening the flaps, and looking at the different babies.

 

Kids comments:

In conclusion:

10/10 Any book that survives all 4 of my kids, and that also has the power to get them into a chilled state has got to be a winner!

Read the review, read the book, let us know what you think?